Abstract Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, highlighting the need for improved risk assessment tools. Traditional measures like body mass index (BMI) do not fully capture the risk associated with body fat distribution. The weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) has emerged as a potential anthropometric measure that may provide a more precise evaluation of central adiposity and its cardiovascular risks. We analyzed data from 49,240 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2020. Participants were stratified into quartiles based on WWI: Q1 (WWI